[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39281-39282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15572]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the

[[Page 39282]]

following proposal for collection of information under the provisions 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: 2008 Survey of Qualified Nonimmigrants.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Burden Hours: 1,502.
    Number of Respondents: 5,300.
    Average Hours per Response: 17 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting approval to 
conduct a survey of the residents of Guam and the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as a means to estimate the stock of 
qualified nonimmigrants from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 
Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau in 2008. 
According to the Compact of Free Association Act, a qualified 
nonimmigrant is defined as ``* * * a person, or their children under 
the age of 18, admitted or resident pursuant to section 141 of the US-
RMI or US-FSM Compact or section 141 of the Palau Compact who, as of a 
date referenced in the most recently published enumeration is a 
resident of an affected jurisdiction.'' (Pub. L. 108-188, Sec. 
104(e)(2)(B)).
    The Compact of Free Association is a joint congressional-executive 
agreement that states that the U.S. will provide funds to Guam, CNMI, 
Hawaii and American Samoa for a range of development programs and other 
benefits that are necessary due to the in-migration of citizens from 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of 
Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. The Compact of Free Association 
became effective for citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands 
and the Federated States of Micronesia in 1986, and for citizens of the 
Republic of Palau in 1994.
    The Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 introduced 
the requirement for an enumeration of qualified nonimmigrants to be 
conducted no less frequently than every five years in Guam, CNMI, 
Hawaii and American Samoa. In accordance with the Compact of Free 
Association Amendments Act of 2003, the Office of the Insular Affairs 
of the U.S. Department of the Interior requested the U.S. Census Bureau 
to produce estimates of such qualified nonimmigrants for 2008.
    The Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 stipulates 
that $30,000,000 will be made available for grants to help defray the 
costs to jurisdictions whose health, educational, social, or public 
safety services are affected by the increase in qualified nonimmigrants 
from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of 
Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. To assist in the distribution of 
funds, an enumeration of the jurisdictions that are affected must be 
done no less frequently than every five years.
    The proposed survey will collect data on place of birth, age, date 
of birth, sex and year of entry for qualified nonimmigrants residing in 
Guam and CNMI. Only questions pertaining to the needs of the 
legislation will be asked. The questionnaire content and data 
collection procedures will generally follow the American Community 
Survey (ACS) and Census 2000 procedures. Since data can be obtained for 
Hawaii from the ACS, it is not cost-effective to include Hawaii in the 
survey. Because it would be cost prohibitive to design a survey 
resulting in reliable estimates of the small number of qualified 
nonimmigrants in American Samoa, the estimate for this area will be 
derived from existing Census 2000 data.
    The jurisdictions outlined in Public Law 108-188 are American 
Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the 
State of Hawaii as areas that are to receive funds as part of the 
Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One-time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 
2003.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) 
or e-mail ([email protected]).

    Dated: July 3, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-15572 Filed 7-8-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P